I don’t know enough about classical music for this to become I Hate Classical Radio, and it wouldn’t be funny enough anyway (“Seriously, who likes Liszt more than Beethoven? YOUR GRANDMA, MAYBE”). But I heard this on the radio today and it blew me away. The next time you tell someone music used to be so much better than it is nowadays, you should be talking about this.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Best song of the day: Chopin Prelude Op. 28 No. 15 (“Raindrop”)
I don’t know enough about classical music for this to become I Hate Classical Radio, and it wouldn’t be funny enough anyway (“Seriously, who likes Liszt more than Beethoven? YOUR GRANDMA, MAYBE”). But I heard this on the radio today and it blew me away. The next time you tell someone music used to be so much better than it is nowadays, you should be talking about this.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Worst song of the day: Green Day, “21 Guns”
This song actually isn’t so bad. Except that it sounds like Green Day trying to do “The Scientist”, which is just wrong. To top it all off, the radio played “Basket Case” right after it, which despite being 15 years older sounded much fresher. I guess it's good that Green Day is maturing, rather than desperately attempting to replicate their Dookie sound. But I don’t have to like it.
BONUS FACT: According to Wikipedia, “Basket Case” is a take on Pachebel’s “Canon in D”?! Damn
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Guilty pleasure of the day: Black Eyed Peas, “I Gotta Feeling”
However you feel about “Boom Boom Pow” or the Black Eyed Peas in general, the positive energy of this song is undeniable. So what if the lyrics are only, like, 10 words? I feel like this song is perfect for a prom/high school graduation slideshow. (Or, you know, a Gap commercial.)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Rip-off of the day: Karl Wolf, “Africa” vs. Toto, “Africa”
“There are no new ideas,” say my coworkers disdainfully whenever I bring up a blatant ripoff playing on the radio. And lately, there have been a lot of songs proving them right. I’m not talking about cover songs or sampling; I mean songs that steal whole chord progressions, chorus lyrics, and even backing tracks, sometimes in well-meaning, if poorly executed tribute, but usually in order to profit off listener familiarity with the older (usually better) songs.
So we meet again, Karl Wolf. And now you’re ripping off the 80’s. Somehow, I’m not surprised.
However, I have a feeling that I might be missing the point. Maybe Karl Wolf is actually a brilliant and innovative artist who wanted to mash up Toto’s “Africa” (the choruses) and his own “Carrera” (the verses). But instead of using the same technology as all those other hack mashup artists, decided to take it to the next level or at least the Jay-Z/Linkin Park level and perform the resulting song himself. Either Karl Wolf is a genius, or I am for reading that far into the conceptual framework of his music. Actually, I think using “Karl Wolf” and “conceptual framework” in the same sentence nullifies any genius I may have.
The original:
BONUS ROUND! Forward-thinking mashup artist Karl Wolf’s album version of “Africa”, featuring vaguely nonsensical guest rap and appropriately ridonkulous video:
But OH MAN check out that intense air keyboard solo at 3:11! I think I like him now based solely on that.
So we meet again, Karl Wolf. And now you’re ripping off the 80’s. Somehow, I’m not surprised.
However, I have a feeling that I might be missing the point. Maybe Karl Wolf is actually a brilliant and innovative artist who wanted to mash up Toto’s “Africa” (the choruses) and his own “Carrera” (the verses). But instead of using the same technology as all those other hack mashup artists, decided to take it to the next level or at least the Jay-Z/Linkin Park level and perform the resulting song himself. Either Karl Wolf is a genius, or I am for reading that far into the conceptual framework of his music. Actually, I think using “Karl Wolf” and “conceptual framework” in the same sentence nullifies any genius I may have.
The original:
BONUS ROUND! Forward-thinking mashup artist Karl Wolf’s album version of “Africa”, featuring vaguely nonsensical guest rap and appropriately ridonkulous video:
But OH MAN check out that intense air keyboard solo at 3:11! I think I like him now based solely on that.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Guilty pleasure of the day: Sean Kingston, “Fire Burning”
Confession: I’ve heard this on the radio before and liked it, but just now I accidentally started listening to it while creeping Victor Norlander and I can't seem to press the stop button. Seriously, I’ve listened to this at least 4 times now in a loop. This might even transcend guilty pleasure and just be best song of the day, if not summer. It’s 1:51 AM. I think I’m hypnotized. SOMEBODY CALL 9-1-1
Monday, June 22, 2009
Rip-off of the day: Divine Brown, “Sunglasses” vs. Corey Hart, “Sunglasses At Night”
This is the first in a series of posts highlighting a sorry trend I’ve been hearing on the radio of late: new songs that blatantly rip off older (usually better) ones. I’m not talking about cover songs or sampling; I mean songs that steal whole chord progressions, chorus lyrics, and even backing tracks, sometimes in well-meaning, if poorly executed tribute, but usually in order to profit off listener familiarity with the older (usually better) songs.
This is the radio rip-off I dislike the least, “Sunglasses” by Divine Brown, which borrows from fellow Canadian Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses At Night”. Though it uses a sound-alike keyboard riff, it’s not really a rip-off in my opinion. It’s a decent song with a catchy chorus, and doesn’t capitalize on the famous original lyrics until the very end, where all good medleys and shout-outs belong. It’s more of a payoff than a hook in itself. Overall, the song strives to be recognized for its own merit, rather than just using the catchiness of the original songwriting to compensate for mediocrity.
For comparison’s sake, here’s the original in all its glory:
This is the radio rip-off I dislike the least, “Sunglasses” by Divine Brown, which borrows from fellow Canadian Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses At Night”. Though it uses a sound-alike keyboard riff, it’s not really a rip-off in my opinion. It’s a decent song with a catchy chorus, and doesn’t capitalize on the famous original lyrics until the very end, where all good medleys and shout-outs belong. It’s more of a payoff than a hook in itself. Overall, the song strives to be recognized for its own merit, rather than just using the catchiness of the original songwriting to compensate for mediocrity.
For comparison’s sake, here’s the original in all its glory:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
